# वर्ण
## Hindi
### Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit वर्ण (várṇa). Doublet of बान (bān).

### Pronunciation

* (Delhi) IPA: /ʋəɾɳ/, [ʋɐɾɳ]

### Noun

वर्ण • (varṇ) m
* color
    Synonym: रंग (raṅg)
* race (ethnic group, often categorized by skin colour)
* caste, class
* letter
    वर्णमाला ― varṇamālā ― alphabet
* (phonetics) a phone

#### Derived terms

* वर्णमाला (varṇamālā)
* वर्णहीन (varṇahīn)
* वर्णांध (varṇāndh)
* वर्णात्मक (varṇātmak)
* वर्णानुक्रम (varṇānukram)
* सवर्ण (savarṇ)

### References

* McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993) “वर्ण”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press

## Marathi
### Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit वर्ण (várṇa).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ʋəɾ.ɳə/

### Noun

वर्ण • (varṇa) m
* colour
    Synonym: रंग (raṅga)
* complexion
    कृष्णवर्णkŕṣṇavarṇadark complexion
* letter

#### Derived terms

* वर्णमाला (varṇamālā)
* वर्णानुक्रम (varṇānukram)
* वर्णीय (varṇīy)

## Sanskrit
### Alternative scripts

* ৱৰ্ণ (Assamese script)
* ᬯᬃᬡ (Balinese script)
* বর্ণ (Bengali script)
* 𑰪𑰨𑰿𑰜 (Bhaiksuki script)
* 𑀯𑀭𑁆𑀡 (Brahmi script)
* ဝရ်္ဏ (Burmese script)
* વર્ણ (Gujarati script)
* ਵਰ੍ਣ (Gurmukhi script)
* 𑌵𑌰𑍍𑌣 (Grantha script)
* ꦮꦂꦟ (Javanese script)
* 𑂫𑂩𑂹𑂝 (Kaithi script)
* ವರ್ಣ (Kannada script)
* វណ៌ (Khmer script)
* ວຣ຺ຓ (Lao script)
* വര്ണ (Malayalam script)
* ᠸᠠᡵᢏᠠ (Manchu script)
* 𑘪𑘨𑘿𑘜 (Modi script)
* ᠸᠠᠷᢏᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
* 𑧊𑧈𑧠𑦼 (Nandinagari script)
* 𑐰𑐬𑑂𑐞 (Newa script)
* ଵର୍ଣ (Odia script)
* ꢮꢬ꣄ꢠ (Saurashtra script)
* 𑆮𑆫𑇀𑆟 (Sharada script)
* 𑖪𑖨𑖿𑖜 (Siddham script)
* වර්‍ණ (Sinhalese script)
* 𑩾𑩼 𑪙𑩪 (Soyombo script)
* 𑚦𑚤𑚶𑚘 (Takri script)
* வர்ண (Tamil script)
* వర్ణ (Telugu script)
* วรฺณ (Thai script)
* ཝ་རྞ (Tibetan script)
* 𑒫𑒩𑓂𑒝 (Tirhuta script)
* 𑨭𑨫𑩇𑨘 (Zanabazar Square script)

### Pronunciation

* (Vedic) IPA: /ʋɐ́ɾ.ɳɐ/
* (Classical Sanskrit) IPA: /ˈʋɐɾ.ɳɐ/

### Etymology 1

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *wárnas, from Proto-Indo-European *wer- (“to cover”). By surface analysis, वृ (vṛ, “cover”, root) +‎ -न (-na). Compare वृणोति (vṛṇoti, “to cover”), Avestan 𐬬𐬀𐬭𐬆𐬥𐬀𐬵 (var$^ə$nah, “covering”), English warn.

#### Noun

वर्ण • (várṇa) stem, m
* covering, cloak, mantle
* cover, lid
* outward appearance, exterior, figure, form, shape, color
** c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda
* color of the face, (esp. good color or complexion), luster, beauty
* color, tint, dye, pigment
** (by extension) race, species, kind, caste
* the order or arrangement of a song or poem

##### Derived terms

* दुर्वर्ण (durvarṇa)
* वर्णक (varṇaka)
* वर्णन (varṇana)
* वर्णना (varṇanā)
* वर्णनीय (varṇanīya)
* वर्णमाला (varṇamālā)
* वर्णयति (varṇayati)
* वर्णिका (varṇikā)
* वर्णित (varṇita)
* वार्ण (vārṇa)
* वार्णिका (vārṇikā)
* सवर्ण (savarṇa)
* सुवर्ण (suvarṇa)

### Etymology 2

Probably a semantic extension of the "color, species" meaning above.

#### Noun

वर्ण • (várṇa) stem, m
* a letter, sound, vowel, syllable, word
* a musical sound or note (also applied to the voice of animals)
* praise, commendation, renown, glory

##### Descendants

* Prakrit: 𑀯𑀡𑁆𑀡 (vaṇṇa)
** Gujarati: વાન (vān)
** Hindi: बान (bān)
** Old Marathi: 𑘪𑘰𑘜 (vāṇa), 𑘪𑘰𑘜𑘹𑘽 (vāṇeṃ), 𑘪𑘰𑘡 (vāna)
*** Marathi: वाण (vāṇ)
** → Tamil: வண்ணம் (vaṇṇam) (or from Pali)
** → Telugu: వన్నె (vanne)
** → Kannada: ಬಣ್ಣ (baṇṇa)
* Pali: vaṇṇa
** → Burmese: ဝဏ္ဏ (wanna.)
** → Kannada: ಬಣ್ಣ (baṇṇa, “color”)
** → Khmer: វណ្ណ (vannaʼ)
** → Tamil: வண்ணம் (vaṇṇam) (or from Prakrit)
* → Assamese: বৰ্ণ (borno)
* → Early Assamese: বৰণ (boroṇo)
** Assamese: বৰণ (boron)
* → Bengali: বরন (boron), বর্ণ (borno)
** → Santali: ᱵᱳᱨᱳᱱ (boron)
* → English: varna
* → Gujarati: વર્ણ (varṇ)
* → Hindi: वर्ण (varṇ)
* → Kannada: ವರ್ಣ (varṇa)
* → Khmer: ពណ៌ (pɔə)
* → Madurese: bârna
* → Malay: warna (ورنا), rona (رونا) (through metathesis)
** Indonesian: warna
* → Marathi: वर्ण (varṇa)
* → Old Marathi: 𑘪𑘨𑘿𑘜 (varṇa)
* → Old Javanese: warṇa
** > Javanese: ꦮꦂꦤ (warna) (inherited)
** → Balinese: ᬯᬃᬡ (warna)
* → Tamil: வர்ணம் (varṇam) (learned)
* → Telugu: వర్ణము (varṇamu)
* → Thai: วรรณ (wan)

### References

* “व॑र्ण” in Carl Cappeller, A Sanskrit–English Dictionary: Based upon the St. Petersburg Lexicons, Strasbourg: Karl J. Trübner, 1891, →OCLC, page 475, column 2.
* Arthur Anthony Macdonell (1893) “वर्ण”, in A practical Sanskrit dictionary with transliteration, accentuation, and etymological analysis throughout, London: Oxford University Press, page 271
* Monier Williams (1899) “Várṇa”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 924, column 2.
* Horace Hayman Wilson, A dictionary in Sanscrit and English, 2nd ed., Calcutta: Education Press, Circular Road, 1832, page 737
* Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, pages 517-518
* Mayrhofer, Manfred (1976) Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen [A Concise Etymological Sanskrit Dictionary]‎ (in German), volume 3, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 154